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Titus 1:1

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

3

But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

4

To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

5

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

6

If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

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But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

10

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

Titus 1:2

1:2 before the world. “World” here is aionios, from which we derive aeons; “began” is inferred, though the word is not in the original manuscript. The concept is that of a space/time continuum. The phrase could be read “before the space/time cosmos.” That is, God promised eternal life to His people even before our universe of space and time existed. The same concept is in II Timothy 1:9.

Titus 1:3

1:3 God our Saviour. Note “God our Saviour” in Titus 1:3, and “the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour” in Titus 1:4. Note also Titus 2:10 and Titus 3:6, as well as Titus 2:13. It is clear that the Scriptures regard Jesus Christ as God.

Titus 1:4

1:4 Titus. Titus was a young convert of Paul’s but was a full-blooded Greek, unlike Timothy, who was half Jewish (Galatians 2:3; Acts 16:1). Titus had apparently accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey, or at least part of it (Galatians 2:1). More recently, probably after Paul’s first release from prison, he had been with Paul on a trip to the island of Crete, where Paul had left him to get the Cretian churches properly organized and functioning. Thus, Paul’s letter to Titus and his two letters to Timothy (who had been left in Ephesus for a similar purpose) are known as Paul’s pastoral epistles. Like I Timothy, the letter to Titus seems to have been written between Paul’s two imprisonments.

Titus 1:5

1:5 ordain elders. The “elders” and “bishops” (Titus 1:7) are the same. See I Timothy 3:1-12 for the qualifications of bishops and deacons.

Titus 1:9

1:9 Holding fast. Compare II Timothy 1:13. It is vital that pastors and teachers guard both the Word and its words against its opponents.

Titus 1:9

1:9 gainsayers. It is important not only to exhort those who believe the Word to act on it, but also to convince those who reject it, being ready always to give an appropriate answer to problems and objections (I Peter 3:15).

Titus 1:10

1:10 the circumcision. The inhabitants of Crete were generally belligerent and were of a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, including many displaced Jews. This posed a great challenge to those who would establish sound Christian churches there, and Paul wanted to counsel and help Titus in whatever way he could.

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